Barack Obama raises high expectations among Mexicans

I met and spoke briefly with José Díaz Briceño, correspondant in Washington, DC, for La Reforma newspaper of Mexico DF, about Barack Obama and Mexican people. The video is brief because it was recorded during a recess at an event held at George Washington University.

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Tell me Jose. What has been the reaction of the Mexican people about the election of president Obama?

Well what I can tell you is that, just like is being said in this event, the expectations [in Mexico] about president Obama are very high, he is very popular and considering that the former president [Bush] had very low approval rates not only internally but also externally in all the continent, then these news were received with much expectations in all countries, you can review all the media coverage of newspapers in Latin America and you can see that the inauguration of Obama was followed step by step, who being the first African American president is breaking a lot of stereotypes about the United States but also he is seeing as a clear sign of differentiation of new policies in regards of George Bush.


Is there a problem of racism in Mexico?

No look, Mexico is a very contrasting society, not only racially but in socio and economically levels, likewise in the US and all the Latin American countries, we have those challenges that we must overcome.


Do most Mexicans support NAFTA or oppose free trade policies in your opinion?

Well I can’t tell you at this moment if there is any specific survey about the benefits of free trade in Mexico, what I can tell you is that the northern regions of Mexico have much more contact with exports to the US, and they benefit more from the trade. Obviously there are areas that have been affected by agricultural policies for example, that will always occur.





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